SaffsDad

Congratulations!

jrpisha

Great looking car, congratulations !

hyperion667

got it; misunderstood......the car I test drove had the BM too, I've never even heard the regular stereo

Jason B

Why is the S63 showing faster 0-60 time? This is kind of embarrassing to have this kind of typo?

MTrauman

I do not believe this is a typo.


The main reason has to do with 4Matic on the S63. The S63 does not have the wheel spin that the s65 would have due to the 4Matic system.

hyperion667

not to mention V12.....I hear some are quite slow....but you know how you hear things

icebeam

You have a keen eye and it's not a typo. The reason why is that the s63 has 4matic which is basically AWD and allows it to get off the line quicker with the added traction. The S65 comes with magic body control and does not allow for the use of 4matic. You can't configure any S class with both 4matic and magic body control as the engine compartment can't fit the components for both.

However both the S63 and the S65 top speed is 186 and the S65 will hit that number sooner. As the s63 will be quicker off the line (4matic) the S65 will over take around 105MPH with it's added horse power.

The only typo MB has is when you configure the standard S550 and select 4matic you actually drop the 0-60 time from 4.8 to 4.2 seconds. however even the S600 (v12) will be slower off the line but will overtake the s550 4matic around 120MPH.

Also take note that if you compare any of the S class after a rolling start say 5MPH to X (what ever speed you want) the performance is in order by HorsePower so s65 then s63 then s600 then s550.

Personally I'm never the one to pull next to the car and go want to race but I do like overtaking people on drives between AZ and CA and for that a S65 will always be better.

I just thought I would chime is as I felt a knew a lot about this question.


Note that only on the s550 can you choose
S550 = Magic Body Control or 4matic.
s600 = Magic Body Control
S63 = 4matic
S65 = Magic Body Control.

Did I miss anything, anyone?

Jason B

Very informative post. So the question begs to be asked, if the S65 has so much wheel spin when doing 0-60, why don't they offer it with 4 matic? This would help stop the wheel spin...

whoover

It's not "so much wheel spin." 4WD is of course an advantage on take off, but there are better cars if drag-racing is your thing. ABC/MBC is a joy and seems to violate the laws of physics in making the nose-heavy S65 corner flat and reasonably neutral. Sure there's still understeer, but it's managed amazing well by this suspension. There are apparently fundamental reasons why ABC and 4matic are incompatible. Until they achieve a breakthrough, ABC all the way for a car like the S65.

The torque just off the idle is already phenomenal and the car always feels effortless in a way that the V8 just doesn't approach. Cruising I-5 from San Francisco to LA, or the coast highways through Oregon and Washington, the S65 offers an experience so unique that a tenth of second 0-60 time is laughably irrelevant. 4WD would be nice, but with that much torque there are no situations that your right foot won't solve.

icebeam

Well thats a great question. First off your correct that if they offered a S65 with 4matic it would be faster than the s63's 3.9 second 0-60 time. The reason why they don't offer a S65 with 4matic is simply because of volume. They don't sell enough S65's to offer both 4matic and magic body control options. The s65 is a low volume high margin car. Most people that buy the "top of the line" benz want the top of the line options. MBC costs more than 4matic by a few grand when configuring a s550. So to MB thought their top of the line car should have MBC

They figured by doing the S63 with 4matic would allow for people to order a AMG that live in snow/rain.

icebeam

Even a S550 seems so effortless coming from a 300HP LS 400 and LS 430. It just gets crazy past 450hp. I think the s600 is the idea car. You get a lot of power/torque with 100% comfort. I think the s600 is the unsung hero of the s class

AppleFan1

"The only typo MB has is when you configure the standard S550 and select 4matic you actually drop the 0-60 time from 4.8 to 4.2 seconds."

Wow icebeam! I had no clue that the S550 4Matic was this fast (4.2 seconds) from 0-60. I have not tested it yet and probably never will, but this is great information you are providing.

MTrauman

MotorTrend recently tested the 2014 S550 4Matic and compared the 0-60 times with Audi. They state the tested 0-60 for the S550 4Matic is 4.7 seconds while the Audi A8L (also AWD) was 4.2 seconds making the Audi faster then the S550.

icebeam

The main point i was trying to make is the logic. I agree that the 4.2 could be off slightly. I do think that if you put a s600 next to a s550 4 matic, the 4matic would beat it to 60 making it under 4.5. How much I don't know. The tests that motor trend run are tough. So many factors can affect tenths of a seconds. Wind, tempature, tire condition, elevation, driver skill level, did they use the paddle shifters? etc etc.

But yes the Audi is a faster car. The new S8 runs a 3.5 with their AWD but I mean the S class interior IMO is just leaps and bounds ahead of audi so I could care less. I mean even 4.8 is *$@&$*%$ fast for a sedan weighing over 5k pounds. I mean 4.8 seconds is sports car times from 3-5 years ago.

In this day and age in luxury sedans if your not racing your got more power then you need to do anything.

JLamg

Lots of data - not a lot of information
I have owned every variant - S550, S550 4matic, S63 and now S65. These cars and the related increased cost, are not about 0-60 time. At the end of the day they deliver great experiences to their owners with different levels of refinement. Day to day they are superior, powerful and fast automobiles. The step up in cost deliver changes at the margin. .
At the end of the day the S65 is a technical masterpiece. . and the experience of driving a V12 is unmatched -

icebeam

Well said +1.

xxGenericSNxx

Very nice S65. The interior looks great. Did you ever drive the 221 S65 and if so- do you notice any differences in how it drives compared to the new car?

From what I understand it's more of a technical thing. There's simply not enough room on the S body to put the 4matic and V12 under the same roof compared to the G65 where there's more room to play with.

I remember many years ago a forum member inquired with Renntech about installing a 4matic system into either a W220 S55(K) or S600(TT). Renntech came back and said it'd be doable on the S55 (for about $30,000) but not possible on the S600 due to space limitations.

bodyguard

Renntech is offering a ECU tune for the S63 ( which I will be installing in my 2015 S63 when it arrives) that would put the horsepower to 669 and torque to 738.

Germancar1

The S600 will smoke the S550 4Matic or not. Not even close.

M

xxGenericSNxx

I'm not sure if the power figures are as high as the RWD counterparts. I know for sure the ML/GL63 ECUs put out less power than RWD cars. Renntech hasn't published any power figures for the 4matic AMG passenger cars though. (limiting factor is the transfer case which can't handle all of that power)

bodyguard

If you check Renntech's website you will see the power figures for the tuned 2014 / 2015 S63 with 4 wheel drive ( 669 HP and 738 torque). A fully loaded S63 with the Renntech tune would not only be more powerful and faster than the S65, it would also handle better (being a lighter car and 4 wheel drive) and cost 10's of thousands of dollars less in price with the same equipment and options.

WSH

Congrats on the new 65

Agree, 0-xxx is arguably least useful stat on any perf car

Real perf differences amongst all the great new S-Classes are such subtleties like mid-range torque delivery, smoothness of gearbox esp in urban driving (where 63's MCT is still a jerky/buggy/lemony disaster despite it being an ancient box first intro'd in ?'08), stability/smoothness of 4Matic chassis vs MBC esp on bumpy US freeways/roads (not smooth, idyllic German autobahn), brake pedal feel (esp ceramic brakes vs steel), exhaust note (as heard from inside closed car at various speeds), etc etc

Given how complex are the various hardware/software systems/networks of any new S-Class (and the various bugs MB struggles to solve despite extensive R&D and warranty claims experience), seems like poor risk-reward to spend money on anything not factory-engineered/installed, risking one's warranty/lemon law protections....and wasting one's presumably valuable time potentially trying to solve self-inflicted bugs/lemon issues....all on a car that is about as obsoleting/disposable as an iPad/iPhone, w/similar 2yr leases....before moving on to next latest/greatest MB for next <2yrs (given MB seems to consistently buy out last few mths of lease to encourage accelerated lease trade-ins to sell more new cars)

texex91

S65 is sweet. Enjoy that beauty!

JLamg

And the experience keeps getting better!
A few updates:
1) It is all about the power curve - addicting, incredibly smooth and 80 feels like nothing
2) Ambient lighting. . have been playing around the light purple works great against the silk beige and grey. Will try to get some pics soon
3) Outside - side by side with a 2015 S500 (iridium with 20 inch wheels) - seems a bit lower, and profile of tires/wheels feel larger
4) "Hidden feature" - swipe your foot under the back bumper (with your key in pocket) and the trunk opens. Do the same again and trunk closes
5) I love the HUD!
Cheers all!
J

texex91

#4 work for a 2015 S550 too--I need to try that?